Kuehn fired six shut out innings, striking out seven to go against just two hits and no walks. Rickardsville had only one runner reach second base during those first six frames as Kuehn faced one hitter over the minimum before giving way to Ben Cottrell in the seventh.
The Ramblers coasted to victory on the strength of a three-run third that gave them more than enough support for a dominant pitching staff. Shortstop Dan Spain got the outburst started with a lead-off double that bounced over the center field wall. After a Kuehn single put runners on first and third, a Chris Briggs' double got Key West on the board.
A pair of ensuing ground outs failed to score a run and left men on first and third with two outs. A Justin Kuhle grounder then eluded the shortstop to score the second run of the inning before Tanner Denlinger capped the frame with an RBI single to make the score 3-0 after three innings.
Kuehn added an insurance run for himself in the sixth with an RBI single for the final run of the game. Kuehn finished 2-for-4 at the plate, joining Denlinger (2-for-3) and Spain (2-for-3, two doubles) as Ramblers who collected two hits.
Rickardsville tried to mount a rally in the top of the seventh. After Cottrell struck out Evan Felton to lead off the inning, Jeff Hiatt walked and Connor Reilly singled to put runners at first and second. Cottrell ended the threat by getting a line out to center and a ground out to short.
Key West (12-1) next shifts its focus to Prairie League action as it takes on East Dubuque on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Petrakis Field. The Ramblers will play in the semifinals of the Bellevue Tournament on Friday at 8:30 p.m. against Farley, which defeated Dubuque by a score of 11-3 on Tuesday.
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